The Orange-Haired Girl and the Starry Bull

Lily had the most unusual hair in her whole village. Each curl was bright as sunshine, the color of ripe oranges. The other children had brown hair and black hair and yellow hair, but only Lily had orange hair.

"It's too bright," the other children would say. "It's too strange."

Lily tried to hide her orange curls under a big hat, but deep inside, she wished her hair could be something magical, not just strange.

One warm evening, when the moon was round and full, Lily heard something heavy moving in the orange grove behind her house. Creak. Snap. Crunch.

She peeked through the leaves and saw something that made her gasp.

A bull stood among the orange trees. But this was no ordinary bull. His fur was made of stardust, shimmering silver and blue. His horns glowed like tiny moons. And most wonderfully of all, his eyes were the same bright orange as Lily's hair.

The Starry Bull lowered his massive head and looked right at Lily. Instead of running away, she stepped closer. The bull didn't seem scary at all. He seemed lonely.

"Your hair," the bull spoke in a voice like wind chimes. "It shines like my favorite stars."

Lily pulled off her hat. Her orange curls bounced free. "You really like it?"

"It's beautiful," said the bull. "I come from the constellation Taurus. I was searching for something beautiful on Earth, and I found your hair glowing like a beacon."

Lily felt warmth spread through her chest. For the first time, someone called her unusual hair beautiful.

"I can show you something," the bull said gently. "Climb on my back."

Lily climbed onto the Starry Bull's soft, stardust fur. With one mighty leap, they jumped into the sky! They soared past clouds and twinkling stars. They danced with comets and said hello to the moon.

From above, the orange grove looked like a carpet of tiny orange lights.

"Your hair matches the oranges you love," the bull said. "And the stars I love. You belong everywhere, Lily."

When they landed back in the grove, the bull nuzzled her hand. "I must return to my constellation now. But remember — what makes you different is what makes you magical."

Lily watched the Starry Bull gallop up into the night sky, becoming one with the stars.

The next day, Lily took off her hat for good. Her orange hair bounced and shone in the sunlight. And whenever she looked at the stars, she winked, knowing her very best friend was watching from above, loving her orange curls just as much as she did.